Melissa Bashardoust’s Girl, Serpent, Thorn is “an alluring feminist fairy tale” (Kirkus) about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse. There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s … safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story.
As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.
Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming…human or demon. Princess or monster.
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Gorgeously written and quietly powerful, Bashardoust’s latest is an enthralling tale of family, monsters, and the things we do for love.
The queer, good-monster book of my dreams. I loved this heroine with my entire soul.
Rating:
Dark, Unexpected and Completely Original
This book was totally different than I thought it would be. I expected something along the lines of Rapunzel, with a princess locked away in a castle only to be rescued by a prince who is able to see who she really is despite her differences. However what I got was a girl who didn’t just sit in her room locked away and waiting to be rescued, but one who did what she could to rescue herself and she didn’t always do what was right or proper. She makes mistakes, big mistakes with far reaching effects.
I couldn’t always tell who was good and who was bad in this fairytale and it made it truly suspenseful and original. Soraya is the lead character and she is a twin to Sorush, the current Shah of Golvahar. She is cursed with poison in her veins and is unable to touch any living thing without killing it. She longs to get rid of her curse and be normal.
Her family travels every summer and she is left behind, only able to watch them return each fall from her tower where she is hidden away. After their return one season she sees a new face, among her brothers guard and looks to the tower and sees her as well. His name is Azad and he is a commoner that has become a royal guard because he saved the Shah when a div attacked him. Div’s are from Mount Arzur.
“Everyone there knew never to go wandering too close to the mountain, because it was the home of divs—the demonic servants of the Destroyer whose only purpose was to bring destruction and chaos to the Creator’s world.”
Soraya learns that the div that attacked her brother was caught and now resides in the dungeon. She believes that the div might have the answer to reversing her curse. Soraya uses the tunnels in the castle to sneak down and speak to the div. she meets Azad who helps her and she finds information that may help her.
I don’t want to give any more away than that. However Soraya, the div named Parvenah and Azad become entangled and what happens after that is quite a tale. There are many other characters is this story and the character development and world building is terrific. This was a dark fairytale with monsters, curses and evil, but the Soraya’s journey is quite different than I have seen in other fantasy novels and fairytales. Sometimes it is hard to tell if she is good or bad, and the same is true for many of the other characters.
Though it wasn’t the best I have read, it was definitely good and worth reading. I have this book 4 stars for all the things I truly liked about it. I would definitely watch a movie of this one! I love fantasy and fairytales and this is one of the most original I have read. It is nice to see a flawed heroine, especially one as strong as Soraya.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Sweet and beautiful like a rose on the outside, prickly thorns line the inside. This is a fairytale gone rogue. She is a princess, she is a monster…
GIRL, SERPENT, THORN is a queer (female/female/bi) YA fantasy inspired by Persian mythology, the American fairytales- SLEEPING BEAUTY, RAPUNZEL, and RAPPACCINI’S DAUGHTER, and the author’s exploration of legends and myths of her own culture and heritage, with particular attention tributed to the Persian- Sasanian era.
All of the historical words foreign to me were in a different language (Persian) and described briefly in the context of the story, but also defined thoroughly in the author’s note at the end of the book. There weren’t too many foreign words, but they make a bold statement. I enjoyed learning terms in the Persian language, such as calling demons- divs (pronounced DEEVS) and calling the New Year- Nog Roz. They were easy to remember and fun to come across.
I admired Melissa Bashardoust’s spin on the folklore. It was well written, keeping me engaged the entire time! The story kept twisting and turning, continuously keeping the suspense high, I loved all the action that was going on! I couldn’t wait to see what was happening next. The characters had depth and real emotions.
“I think you have so much power within you that it scares you, and that you make yourself small on purpose because you don’t know what you’ll become if you ever stop.”
The storytelling through the imagery of roses, thorns, scales, poison, incense, divs, mythology, emotions, and characters, it was all so VIVID. Highly imaginative and gorgeous scenery! The magical elements were incredibly creative.
“Was she destined always to grow close to people who would betray her? Or perhaps the problem was that she wasn’t growing close to people, but to demons.”
As someone who doesn’t normally read the fantasy genre, I was shocked by how much I liked this. I love retellings of fairytales/folklore, anything with monsters, demons, villain-ery, and heroism. I guess it’s safe to say that I like a very limited amount of fantasy. I’m happy to add this one to the collection.
This was more than just a pretty cover! I expect this book to be a HUGE success. It was magical, thrilling, and sweet.
Much gratitude to the publisher Flatiron Books, compliments of the Goodreads Giveaway Program for the paperback ARC I received. I was under no obligation to write a review, my honest opinion is freely given. The quotes I chose may not reflect the final publication, as the author may have made changes prior to print.
What does one do when forced to hide in the shadows? Feared for the poison that runs through her veins. Confused, misunderstood, and alone.
For Soraya, this was her everyday life. Then temptation came in the form of a boyish grin and sparkling eyes.
What Soraya didn’t realize was that temptation would be the ruin of her home and family.
Now, she will need to find the power she used to have to destroy the one who threatens everything and everyone she loves.
Melissa Bashardoust does a fantastic job creating a romantically suspenseful and mysterious wild story that is absolutely captivating. I couldn’t put this book down and didn’t want it to end.
This is a wondrous fairytale that is beautifully written and intense. A lonely cursed girl rebels, stirs up shit, then has to figure out who to trust and if she can fix everything that’s broken. I adored how this story is full of flawed people making morally grey decisions, and finding their power in not being simply good, but also rebuilding from mistakes however they can. Everyone is the hero and villain of their own story. A subtle, tender but kickass, monster girl romance adds the little extra to truly make this story shine.
4.5 stars
This book has been on my TBR since before it was published almost a year ago, when I saw a review by Julie at One Book More. I kept putting it off for one reason or another…my mood, other commitments, time. I’m glad to have finally gotten around to reading this story. It’s beautiful and tragic and hopeful and devastating. I loved it.
The author does a wonderful job with the world building. Every time I picked the book up I was immersed in the land of the shahzadeh and shahmar, divs and curses, hidden passageways and a mountain fortress. It was no surprise to me to learn, through the author’s notes at the end of the book, how much thought she put into every aspect of this story. Or that fairy tales, myths, and legends were always a huge part of her life.
Soroya was by turns strong and weak. Yet even when she was weak, there was an underlying strength she didn’t realize she had. This girl was mistreated her whole life. Neglected and made to feel as if she was the shame of her family. Always left alone, untouched and unloved. It’s a wonder she hadn’t become evil and vindictive long before her world got wrapped up in life outside the castle walls.
While this story, in a broad sense, is about Soroya finding out the truth of her curse and ultimately having to make the choice of saving her kingdom or staying where she’s accepted. It’s a path that’s riddled in lies and half-truths. There are so many choices Soroya has to make with only half of the information she needs. Who can she truly trust? Who really cares for her ultimate well-being?
I found it quite interesting that when Soroya needed to be given the benefit of the doubt, when she was doing things to save lives even when it didn’t seem that way, it was never the men in her life that extended her any such courtesy. They only ever remembered what she had been on the outside, her poison touch making her other which equated to bad in their eyes. It was only ever the women who realized, for the most part, she was between a rock and a hard place with her decisions and actions. And even then, there were times the women even let her down.
Something I appreciated and loved about this story is the romance. The romance, for the most part, is subtle. Creeping up on you here and there throughout the tale. Soroya finds herself having feelings for more than one person in this story. The fact that she is bisexual is not made an issue at all. It’s not even addressed. The only reason I am addressing it here is to let young (and not so young) people who could use an inclusive story in their lives that this book has that for them. Soroya’s love interests have absolutely no issue with the person in the running for her affections is a different gender than them, just that they have competition for her loyalties.
The strength and skill in her writing in this, her sophomore published work, really impressed me. I’m looking forward to more fantastical tales from this author and will definitely be seeking out her first book which I haven’t yet read.
Shut the front door! Don’t mind me, I’m just sitting here with my audiobook hangover.
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust is a YA Fantasy fairytale with origins in Persian mythology history. Our protagonist Soraya was cursed as an infant with poison in her blood making her touch deadly, and her emotions reflected by changing colors of her veins. This keeps her isolated from society, hidden by her royal family. To find the truth of the origins of her curse she must confront magic that has betrayed her family several times before. A key element in YA is often coming of age, self discovery, and this is very much the case here. Soraya experiments in relationships with both men and women, however neither play a central focus in the story. The central theme explored being in this fairytale the girl saves herself, and her pathway there is a metamorphosis to a complex, dark character. It makes a really interesting, compelling, and nuanced story. Unlike many fairytale retellings so much of the narrative is fresh and unknown. The reader feels like they may have heard it, something similar in parts, but you may not be sure. It’s very well done.
The audiobook experience, narrated expertly by Nikki Massoud, is a must listen. Her lyrical voice acting gently rocks you along, as a fairytale does. Then before you know it the story has turned dark and twisty, and you’re all in! This lends itself especially well to leaning back and being read to, being immersed in the the story. Not to be missed is the author notes at the end. I found her details on word history and where she drew her inspiration fascinating.
I highly recommend to those readers that enjoy YA, Fantasy, fairytale retellings, those that are new to audiobooks, and absolutely to those that think ‘these aren’t my genres’. I was so pleasantly surprised by this audiobook and hope a wide audience finds it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy. All opinions are my own.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked this one up. It was on a queer book reading list and I was looking for something fantasy. Wow, did I get so much more than I expected. This book is amazing. It is completely original, with a wonderful world full of incredibly strong and determined characters. The sapphic storyline was simply a bonus to the rest of the plot. This is the dark and intricate queer fairytale full of princesses and monsters that I didn’t even know I needed in my life. I don’t know how to explain why I loved this book so much without giving away plot and I can’t do that because the twists and turns are what make it so much fun. Just do yourself a favor and go give it a read.
I was a little disappointed in this, it felt slow. I did love the idea of a poisonous princess, but then most of the book she wasn’t poisonous and I was a little bored. However, loved Pavarna! She was fun in every scene.
If there is one genre I want to read more of in 2021 it would be fantasy, and Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust really fit the bill. Not only does it have a gorgeous cover, but I also found myself completely lost in the world of this book. Divs, Pariks, Simorghs – I loved the way Bashardoust took fairy tales, mythology, and folklore and combined them all into this fantasy world. I have yet to read Bashardoust’s debut novel, but I am going to have to change that soon as I really enjoyed her writing style and world building. I did listen to the audiobook which is narrated by Nikki Massoud and she made the perfect Soraya. The audio was a little odd in that her narration would get very quiet (especially when it was a man speaking) and then loud again so I did do a lot of turning up the volume and then having to lower it, but this was a small thing, and I loved the audio besides that.
I don’t even know what kind of imagination you have to have to bring a book like this to life, but man am I here for it. Girl, Serpent, Thorn has lots of reveals that I didn’t see coming, and I could completely see why Soraya did the things she did. I don’t want to talk about the plot and give anything away, but I thought this was a very well-executed young adult fantasy, and it was very refreshing to read. I thought the author’s note at the end was a great addition to the book, and I am so glad Bashardoust took the time to add it so the reader can see what influenced her writing for this story. I went in without any expectations and was pleasantly surprised, so if you want to give this a try that’s how I would recommend going in!
Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via Edelweiss. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Soraya, Azad, Soreesh, Ramin, paravaneh,
Notes ;
Intrigues, lies, secrets, asshat, bullies, pain, lgbqt, tension, fantasy, exciting, adventure, romance, drama…
I totally loved reading this book, I read this with my bookclub and it was so much fun, I really loved the way it was written, the plot twists, and all the things that happened in the book.
Definitely an recommendation
5 stars
A devastatingly beautiful tale of the monster within.
Bashardoust created a stunning world filled magnificently flawed and interesting characters. This story wonderfully deals with themes of home, love, acceptance, selfishness, and the darkness that lurks within us all.
Soraya shines through this story. She has a beautiful character arc that was absolutely marvelous. Her growth and development throughout the story was insightfully done and truly inspiring. Soraya is often painted as an antagonist by most of the characters of the story but for me she was mostly victim. Her isolation and family issues led to many of her mistakes but I felt all of her choices were warranted given the information she had. Soraya’s inner conflict is one of the core aspects of the story. Who is she deep down? Monster or princess?
I love the style in which this story was told. Bashardoust masterfully weaved a darker atmosphere that fit so perfectly. This monstrous tale is overall a pretty grim story and I loved how it leaned into it rather than shying away. I loved how even with the heavy atmosphere, hope was always glimmering just out of sight.
The world building is awe-inspiring. Bashardoust has created a gorgeous world with fascinating lore and creatures that I couldn’t get enough of. I hope she creates more stories in this world in the future.
There are two love stories in this story and both were interesting and artfully done, showing all of the facets of Soraya and helping her become who she is meant to be.
The audio is phenomenal. Nikki Massoud does an outstanding job bringing these characters to life. I loved her voice and pronunciation. She has great range going from silky to smoky as needed. Massoud was an excellent choice for this story.
Ultimately I felt this is a story of acceptance and identity, and I loved the method with which it was told. An all around extraordinary read.
Soraya, a princess living in Golvahar, has been in hiding her whole life. Born with poison running through her body, she is deadly with a touch. As her brother, the king, wedding approaches Soraya meets a new soldier, Azad, who sees her for who she truly is. In a quest to find a way to break the curse and keep the peace with the humans and divs, Soraya is forced to make choices of family or freedom. This book is fantastic, the writing is beautiful as we hear see the struggles and pain Soraya goes to make her who she is today. Soraya’s choices changes her and we follow her in learning that her heart doesn’t always know what it wants or needs. This is a fantasy story that I definitely recommend!
Girl Serpent Thorn
Melissa Bashardoust
A Persian inspired mythology that is a fantastic read as is magical and captivating that I loved. Bashardoust captured and told a story that is needed for young adults of any age – with a heroine that is bisexual and colored, this book is a must read.
The story is centered on Princess Soraya who is cursed and is poisonous to the touch. She learns that a demon in the dungeon may save her from this awful curse. This amazing fairytale story, YA fantasy and romance, and queer fiction is such an enjoyable read that was written so beautifully.
I highly recommend this amazing book.
Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a blisteringly original concept rooted in an uncommon mythology, absolutely poetic in nature but perhaps too short in length. Persian mythology finally hits shelves in a big way with this buzzy novel, bringing the reader into a culture that you might not see too much of in pop culture, while also maintaining an accessible, fairy-tale feel to it, for fans of Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel where the ladies have more agency. This book felt fresh and original, not only because of the chosen mythos, but because of the mature tone despite the YA genre and the bisexual protagonist. I can’t help but feel like there’s too much story in this tale; Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a slim and quick read, sometimes giving off the impression this should’ve been something longer.
Soraya is the twin sister to the shah, Sorush, the ruler of their kingdom, but their lives couldn’t be any more different. While Sorush is the beloved face of the kingdom and lives a life of travel and luxury, Soraya spends her days mostly locked inside her rooms under the gentle pressure of her mother, who loves her but needs to keep her abilities a secret for the good of the kingdom. For anyone who touches Soraya dies. The poisonous blood of divs runs through her veins, a curse placed on her because her mother defied the divs, making her little more than a demon in the eyes of the non-understanding. Soraya longs to access the world outside and start her own life, not necessarily the luxurious life her brother leads, but one of her own choosing. But her duty to her kingdom and family weigh heavily on her, so when a div is captured and placed in the dungeon, Soraya knows this is her chance to discover if there is a way to lift her curse and rejoin the real world. With the encouragement of a new guard who knows her secret and loves her anyway, Soraya converses with the beautiful demon in the dungeon, learning that not only is her curse not what she thought it was, but that she may play an unwitting role in the kingdom’s future to come.
Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a beautiful exercise in fairy-tale storytelling for the modern age; Soraya, despite the second world fantasy setting, is a woman who could easily be from our world. She loves her family and people dearly but feel burdened by them, wanting to start her own life even though she knows it might hurt those around her. The demon blood in her veins reflects her own image of herself as a monster: she has never known human touch, barely human affection, certainly ostracized from the community she feels desperate to be a part of. The moral lines of this story begin to blur as Soraya takes steps to discovering the truth about her powers and takes steps to control her own future, no matter the consequences. Soraya herself never really takes the morally gray route herself, I admire her choices to do the right thing despite the situation, but the world around her is painted in shades of difficult choices. Is her mother right to lock her away when she can easily kill other people by accident? Are those who know her secret wrong to be afraid of her? In a world where divs run amok and beasts appoint kings, where do we draw this line? I loved all the characters in this book and their numerous difficult choices. It really helped Soraya become a more complicated character herself; she has to cope with the fact that she is not the only one making hard choices, and as much as she might want to pass the blame to others, life is never that easy.
Soraya is also bisexual in a manner that is never spoken about too explicitly in the text. I appreciated this smooth interweaving of her sexuality into the narrative without making a fuss; while others may find it empowering, I always find it a bit off when second-world fantasy characters discuss their identities in a way that feels ripped from a modern-day gender/sexuality journal. Soraya having both a male and female love interest (and her speaking frankly about her past affection for another female character) is never commented on in a way that I feel bisexual characters are often judged by; her admiration for both genders is never held against her.
Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a little on the short side, clocking in at just about 300 pages, but there is a lot of story packed inside this tiny book. Whether or not this is a good thing for you depends on what you’re trying to get out of a story. I loved the plot of the novel, I thought it was gorgeous and spanned so many interesting plots and settings, but it was a lot for such a small space. It felt like it wanted to be longer and the pacing was a little off for me compared to the tone and writing style. This novel is gorgeous in some places, absolutely nailing that dreamy, fairy-tale feeling, and then in others I felt like we were thrown randomly into action sequences and sudden discoveries with no time to breathe. It was a little jarring to suddenly go from this lyrical style and tone to a more traditional action-adventure book. Not to say fairy tales and gorgeous writing can’t encompass action scenes, but the juxtaposition between some of these chapters felt you were reading books by two totally separate people who had gotten the same plot but went about it in opposite ways. Neither style is bad, actually, but having them both smashed together in the same book made for an odd reading experience. I wish we had gotten some of the action cut and stuck to a more storybook style. The strengths in this writing lay in the atmospheric tone and mood, not the fight sequences.
This book was the perfect short read for an afternoon. I am enamored with Soraya and her beautiful, killer powers and the elegantly crafted and three-dimension world she inhabits. I would’ve read a five hundred page version of this novel, and that’s how many pages I think we should’ve had for this not to feel rushed or tonally inconsistent. I feel a bit odd recommending this to both action lovers and fans of lyrical, slow, prose, but if you like both of those things or believe you can push through the chapters that contrast with your preferred style, the plot and characters are absolutely worth it. I would love to see what Bashardoust does in the future, perhaps when she develops her style a little more and settles down.
review blog
When I picked up this book all that I knew about it was that it was a YA fantasy inspired by Persian mythology and a Rappaccini’s Daughter retelling. I was sold by that concept alone. Oh and it’s a standalone. I had not read anything by this author before so I was amazed at the beautifully enchanting writing of this book. This book was very atmospheric, I had no issues imagining every aspect of the story.
This is the story of Soraya, a girl that was cursed as a baby to be poisonous. The only living thing that she can interact with is flowers. I found Soraya to be a very frustrating character due to her making a lot of really bad decisions and could be very naive; however, what do you expect from someone that was forced to hide away with little to no interaction for her entire life.
The heart of this story is Soraya’s journey of self-love and acceptance. Soraya has spent her life not liking herself due to the way that she is. During this story she is able to see that what made her so different is also what makes her special. Which is a wonderful theme for a YA book.
I really enjoyed the narrator of this book. The way that she read the story pulled me in. She was able create the voices that seemed to fit each character.
A solid 4 stars. I loved the writing, and I think it was the best part of the story. Everything was great- characters, world building, plot. The MC was fierce and strong but cautious and thoughtful as well. Her character was written so well that she felt realistic and relatable. The strange names annoyed me slightly until I read the author’s note that had a detailed explanation. If the “note” was printed in the beginning instead of the end, I feel I would have enjoyed the story even more. I loved Bashardoust’s Girls Made of Snow and Glass; I recommend it often. This is an author to watch and I hope she writes more soon.
This book was so interesting, I didn’t expect so much depth, the book captivated me, Soraya’s story was refreshing and deep, it’s more about who she is and what she wants to become, being isolated all her life she now finds the courage to go into a journey what will lead her with accepting who she really is and finding love in the most unexpected ways. This fairy tale YA story will captivate you.
An addictive story with refreshing plot, interesting characters and an ending that satisfies. Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a very unique and original story of a girl who is cursed. She can’t touch others without killing them as a punishment for her mother’s crime. I listened to this entire book in one setting. It was magical, heartbreaking, redemption and absolutely amazing. The world the author creates is detailed and pulls the reader in; as does the strong yet humble main character, Soraya. The hardships she endures as well as the adventure she goes on becomes a heartwarming story I couldn’t walk away from. Full of love, action, mystery, strong morals in a fantastical world, I highly recommend this story. It lived up to the hype for me. A+. I received the ARC via NetGalley and Macmillan Audio and I am leaving my honest review.